During baggage screening at Gate A1 at around 10:00 AM, customs officers detected suspicious signs in the luggage of passenger C.P.H., a Taiwanese national arriving on flight VN579 from Taiwan to Hanoi.

Immediately, the customs force, in coordination with Anti-Smuggling Control Team No. 1 and the Noi Bai Airport Police Station, conducted a full inspection of the passenger's luggage.

The inspection revealed 12 yellow metal pieces, suspected to be gold, weighing nearly 2kg, concealed inside four camera lenses. The estimated value of the seized items is over VND5.5 billion (approx. US$215,000).

All evidence and the individual involved have been handed over to the Hanoi Police Department's Economic Crime Division for further investigation and legal processing.

Noi Bai International Airport has recently seen a surge in gold smuggling cases. In April alone, customs officers, in coordination with relevant agencies, detected two major violations: one involving a Taiwanese passenger smuggling 1kg of gold, and another involving a Chinese national with 2kg of gold.

Customs authorities warned that smuggling and trade fraud at international airports have become increasingly complex, with more sophisticated methods. Common violations include origin fraud, counterfeit branding, intellectual property infringements, and misuse of customs processing, transit, and re-export schemes to circumvent trade defence measures.

To proactively prevent such activities, the Customs Department leadership has directed its units to intensify the use of professional techniques to promptly detect, combat, and strictly handle violations.

Over 3,100 smuggling, counterfeit cases handled in month-long crackdown

VOV.VN - Market surveillance teams nationwide carried out 3,891 inspections between May 15 and June 15, detecting 3,114 violations related to smuggling and counterfeit goods. The campaign resulted in more than VND63 billion in fines.